Greater Cincinnati's community leaders hope that everyone in Cincinnati will make sure to be counted in the 2020 Census.
The results of the Census are used to determine the number of representatives each state sends to Congress. Additionally, Census data is used to determine federal funding levels for a wide variety of programs, according to a press release issued by the City of Cincinnati.
The release states that for every person not counted in the 2020 Census, Hamilton County loses $1,814 of federal funding annually for 10 years. Due to an undercount in the 2010 Census, it is estimated that a total of $3.4 billion of federal funding was lost during the last decade in Cincinnati ($1.6 billion) and Hamilton County ($1.8 billion).
"The data collected by the Census impacts virtually every facet of funding for our local and state communities - even the number of Ohio's elected representatives in Congress," University of Cincinnati President Neville G. Pinto said in the release. "It also has an impact on federal funding that helps students in need to have the means to pursue a college education and makes possible the important research work being performed by our faculty and graduate students. By making sure we are all counted, we ensure that UC continues to be a tremendous partner to Greater Cincinnati as a key economic and workforce development engine."
The city's press release was issued on Census Day, April 1. Census Day is not the deadline for filing Census information. Rather, it is the date used to determine who is counted and where. Census takers will work in the coming months to ensure that everyone is counted.
